Over the past 20 years, Telkom has been closely involved in providing the critical information, communication and technology (ICT) infrastructure that has allowed South Africa to move forward and be connected to the rest of the world. We have provided ICT support through many of the major national events that saw our country maturing since the first democratic elections.

When the long queues of 1994 characterised the first democratic elections in South Africa, Telkom was there to provide the necessary communications infrastructure to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, which ensured that the elections were declared free and fair. Telkom provided services at thousands of polling stations and civil infrastructure at more than 1 000 election-related sites to ensure that all citizens could participate in choosing the first democratically elected President in our history.

Through the broadcasting services we provided for the 1994 elections, we enabled the world to share in our celebration when Madiba raised his fist at the Union Buildings as the first democratically elected President marking the beginning of a new, free South Africa.

Our growth as a nation was further demonstrated when we provided the ICT infrastructure during the 2010 World Cup, which enabled the world to celebrate with us as we took our place as a global leader for hosting one of the greatest World Cups in recent memory. The World Cup was executed without a moment’s downtime from an ICT perspective allowing the media to cover the games in real time and photo journalists were able to download and send pictures to their respective destinations as the action happened on the field.

And when Telkom provided similar broadcasting infrastructure this past December, we ensured that the world could share in another, perhaps more important moment, as we mourned the passing of our beloved leader, Madiba.

Telkom has also contributed to quality teaching and learning through the Telkom Foundation, making a visible difference in education through technology. This ensured that learners in both urban and rural areas have the same access to information – providing them with the same opportunity to excel. We have connected over 3 200 schools through various programmes and over R200-million has been spent to provide Internet connectivity to schools across South Africa, including schools in rural areas where infrastructure did not exist.

Telkom’s technology has, over the past 20 years, been an enabler of our democratic society, connecting citizens from around the country and allowing each person to contribute to the economic growth and social advancement of the South African nation.

On 7 May 2014, we at Telkom will again be ready to participate as proud citizens when we stand in line to cast our votes, but we will also be active citizens in the background, providing our enhanced ICT services ensuring the speed, accuracy and stability of our fifth election and helping the country take another giant leap forward.